Gale-Force Winds
by Lazy Stitch
Summary: Sometimes, life is better spent going where the wind takes you instead of fighting it. That's what Gajeel had to realize once he joined Fairy Tail. (Series of one-shots based on what happened between his manga appearances exploring his, Levy's, and Lily's characters, eventual Gajevy/GaLe.)
1. Cloud Gazing

**Disclaimer**: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

**\- Cloud Gazing -**

Damn Fairies. Glaring, every single one of them. Not that he could blame them. They were trying to hide their angry eyes because their Master was trotting jovially in front of him, but he could feel the heavy, lingering looks, hear the muttered curses of disbelief, smell the fear and disgust in the air. At one point, he might have reveled in it, but as of right now, he felt a bit sick to his stomach. Ducking his head and hunching his shoulders slightly, scowl deepening, Gajeel Redfox grumpily followed Master Makarov to the bar that the white-haired girl with the transformation magic tended. The place was a hell of a lot bigger than what he remembered; he knew it had to be to make the guild name even more known.

"Afternoon, Mira! Got a new recruit for you to induct." Makarov grinned, hopping up onto the bar to sit and swing his legs. Gajeel didn't meet Mirajane's questioning and cautious gaze, instead finding the bar quite interesting. Whoever had chosen the wood had chosen nicely – it had yet to get any scars from the frequent patrons and over zealous idiots.

"Master…"

"Pretty sure this one wouldn't like a pink mark like Lucy, Mira." Makarov deftly shook off Mirajane's hesitant question, pulling his pipe from his jacket pocket. Gajeel grudgingly pulled his gaze from the bar top to Mirajane's face, if only to settle his own curiosity of how she was taking Makarov's orders. At this moment, he wasn't sure if he liked the unfiltered hate he was receiving from every face in the room. He couldn't read her blue eyes, but he knew from the firm set of her lips that she'd follow whatever Makarov said. It was a strange thought, that. Weren't these stupid fairies just "puppets," as Makarov had tried to insult him?

"We can do any color you'd like, only one size though. I assume you want it on your right shoulder?" Mirajane's voice was soft, but it seemed almost threatening. Gajeel hadn't seen her magic with his own eyes, but he could feel the power simmering beneath her cool exterior. She _was_ threatening him, he realized, making him want to laugh.

"Not big on colors. And do I look like the damn Salamander?" Gajeel ground out, putting up a tough front where he didn't even deserve to. He needed to save face, though. The low hum of voices, all talking about him and cursing his name, and the strong woman in front of him all made him defensive when he had no right to be. He should just take all of the bad feelings they were directing at him, but it wasn't in Gajeel's nature to take a beating without fighting back.

"All you Dragon Slayers are the same. Loud, obnoxious, and overly confident in your abilities. In that way, you _do_ resemble Natsu." Makarov injected, easing the tension out of Gajeel's shoulders. He couldn't pick a fight. Not with these people. Not now. Not ever again.

"Tch. Just put it on my left shoulder, then." Gajeel more or less gave up, trying to ignore the hostility bearing down on him from every angle. The voices became a low buzzing as the guild all watched as Mirajane ducked beneath the counter and grabbed the magic stamp that would brand him as a stupid Fairy.

"How about black for the color? Black Steel Gajeel." Mirajane's voice was fake again. It made Gajeel want to bear his teeth and snarl at her, but he didn't, just turned to his side to give Mirajane access to his left shoulder over the bar. The hall became ominously silent as he was stamped, then angrily hummed again when she was done. Gajeel was, and at the same time, wasn't surprised Makarov didn't silence them. As long as no one picked a physical fight with him, Gajeel would bear it. If only for Makarov.

"Now, off to that job, right Gajeel?" Makarov gave him a sidelong look. Gajeel grunted in affirmation, taking the order for what it was: salvation. He'd suffocate soon from all the pressure and not being able to retaliate. Shoving his hands in his pockets with a soft thanks to Mirajane, he exited the guildhall, chin sticking out in defiance. If he was going to be a stupid Fairy now, he might as well act like one of them. Slowly but surely he avoided the stares of people (because all of Magnolia knew what he did and was uncertain of why he was back), making his way back to the scrap metal heap he called home. He easily scaled the little mountain in the middle that gave Makarov trouble, sitting down heavily on the large pipe at the very top.

"Darkness, huh… wonder why ya trust me so much, old man." Gajeel muttered to himself, rubbing at his right shoulder where the Phantom Lord guild mark used to be. His kneejerk reaction was to not cover up what he once was, but he couldn't very well say that in front of all the stupid Fairies. The guild mark was no longer there, but maybe…

Gajeel growled, kicking at a half eaten piece of metal at his feet, watching it clatter all the way down to the floor. There was no "_maybe_." Phantom Lord was gone for good, and that gloom-mongering woman decided to pity _him_, of all people. It wasn't like he had any ties to anyone in Phantom Lord except for Juvia, and even then that bond was incredibly weak. He had no one but himself and this pit of loneliness made of scrap metal.

What was a guild, anyways? Wasn't it just an easy way to make money? To _survive_? Why'd the stupid Fairies have to make it so touchy-feely, anyways?

"God damn stupid fucking half-wit feeling _Fairies!_" The snarl easily ripped from his lips, and his leg just as easily swung up then back to slam his heel into the pipe he was sitting on. It didn't hurt. Nothing ever did. Sighing, anger abating as quickly as it came, Gajeel leaned back until he felt himself sliding off the back of the pipe, his torso landing heavily onto the rubble and scraps piled high as a pseudo-throne of iron and metals. His legs and feet were in the air, supported by the pipe, and he was left facing the open blue sky above him. It had been a long time since he'd actually looked up.

**A/N**: _Yo Fairy Tail fandom. :) I like doing character studies in the beginning, so this is gonna be connected one-shots/drabbles exploring Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily. Maybe. Depends on how uni life goes lol. I'll keep this marked as incomplete for now, though, because I do plan on writing more. I apologize if this seems OOC. I read FT in a hurry like four, five weeks ago (because it's SO GOOD), and I have to keep rechecking all my facts with the girl who convinced me to give FT a try. xD_

_~ Tobi_


	2. Precious Ones

**Disclaimer**: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

**Note**: Hello lovely readers. Just wanted y'all to know that this is **NOT** being written in chronological order (for example, this one-shot I envision being one of the last "chapters" of this). Also, unless you want spoilers, _don't read_ unless you're past chapter 426-ish of the manga – people who only watch the anime, you're no where near that point.

**\- Precious Ones -**

Stupid fucking _Fairies_! God damn them and their _feelings_, making him actually _care!_ _Fuck them!_ Fuck them _all!_

"Gajeel…?"

"Whaddaya want?" Gajeel sneered, speaking his first words since Makarov had called the entire guild for a meeting to announce that Fairy Tail was now disbanded. Of course, Makarov's brats started screaming in protest, but Gajeel, he'd walked away. What Makarov said, went. There really was no questioning the old geezer, especially when the decision concerned his "children." Makarov _loved_ his children – would give his god damn _life_ for their stupid souls – and those idiots didn't seem to understand that Makarov wouldn't make the decision to disband Fairy Tail lightly. They were all fucking stupid if they thought they could change Makarov's mind. They were even stupider if they couldn't see the pain written all over his wrinkled, half-way to tears face.

"You've been awfully quiet. I figured you'd—"

"Like I give that much of a damn to fight with Makarov. He ain't my 'parent,' as he'd like to say. He ain't my keeper. Damn Fairies. Shoulda never trusted those fuck wits." Gajeel interrupted Pantherlily, shoulders hurting from how tense he was. Unconsciously, he was flexing the thickly corded muscles in his arms, his hands opening and closing into tight fists that broke bones.

How fucking dare they. _How fucking dare they_. Gajeel knew he was intriguing, maybe even scaring, Pantherlily with his attitude, but Gajeel couldn't stop the red hot emotions pumping erratically through his bloodstream. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. Emptiness gnawed at his soul and fury coursed through his veins as he looked around his scrap metal home. He hadn't moved into Fairy Hills like Makarov had wanted all those years ago when he first joined Fairy Tail; he'd stayed put where Makarov had found him on the edge of Magnolia, surrounded by nothing but rusting, forgotten metal. It had changed a lot, though. It had been a scrap metal graveyard then, but now it was his home. Rooms had been made (with metal walls, of course, because the stupid Salamander would burn any other material when he decided to drop in) and the roof had been fixed so there was an actual roof and not just the lingering remnants of what once _might_ have been a roof. The metal mountain in the center of the place was gone, dispersed cleanly into one of the first rooms made (which Gajeel had effectively moved into and made his bedroom even though it was never intended to be that). _She_ had organized it, once she figured out Gajeel did have preferences between metals because they all had different tastes to them.

Reminded of how much he actually _did_ care, Gajeel snarled and punched a wall, feeling as if he could shoot flames like the stupid fucking (and also _missing_) Salamander. The metal bent under his knuckles, conforming to their shape. Snorting, Gajeel pulled his fist away from the wall. He hadn't even hit it that hard. He was like that stupid wall – it appeared tough but caved easily. Damn those stupid Fairies…

"I'm not going to leave you, Gajeel."

Just as soon as Gajeel thought he was done with his Salamander imitation, Lily's words set him off again.

"Who the FUCK do you think you are?" Gajeel whirled on his feet, glad the Exceed was floating overhead and out of his reach. He might have actually tried to punch Lily, otherwise. Generally, Lily enjoyed teasing him, but Gajeel had never been so irate that he wanted to physically harm Lily before. However, Lily was sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

"I'm your cat. And I'm your partner. And, above all else, I'm your _friend_." Lily's voice was steady, like normal, but there was pressure behind it. He wasn't going to back down from a fight with Gajeel, and Gajeel knew it. Curling his lip to sneer and growl, Gajeel turned his back to Lily again, not wanting to face him. Lily, infuriatingly, could always tell what Gajeel was feeling before Gajeel knew it himself, and he didn't want that now. He just wanted to punch something that wouldn't give in, to rip things from walls and _break_ them.

"I ain't got no friends. That requires giving a damn for someone else, which is impossible for me." Gajeel spit out, but he knew his words were completely wrong. He knew Lily knew it, too.

"I'm not going to leave you, Gajeel." Lily repeated his words softly, and Gajeel sensed the Exceed calmly lowering himself to the floor.

"Is this about that Jose fellow?" A comforting paw was laid on Gajeel's boot. He was a bit surprised Lily hadn't decided to land on his shoulder, but, maybe that was for the best, considering how he'd just nearly tore Lily a new one.

"Nah. That shit head ain't got nothin' on me." Gajeel ground out, although that wasn't entirely true. If it wasn't… if he hadn't… maybe then…

Before he knew really what was happening, a scream tore out of Gajeel's mouth, and he punched the already dented wall again before turning on his heel to slam his back into it. He was just tired, so _tired_ of _everything_… Gajeel felt his eyes burning with heat as he slid down the wall, legs drawing up to his chest. For such a large man, he could curl up tightly. Pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes, because he wasn't going to fucking _cry,_ _again_, Gajeel took a deep breath. He'd told Lily of his past with Phantom Lord and how he came to be a Fairy Tail mage, but he hadn't _really_ told Lily. What Gajeel had told Lily were _facts_, not _feelings_, and nothing more.

"I ain't a good sorta guy, Lil'. I just ain't cut out for this feeling crap. It doesn't work for me." Gajeel stumbled for words, trying to keep his voice even while at the same time figuring out where to start to make sense for Lily. He felt Lily's warmth as the cat sat next to him, pressing closer than he normally would. Lily's tail tickled the skin at the crook of Gajeel's elbow as the cat rested it there, twitching it every now and then.

"Ain't nothin' ever good comes out of me feeling. My real parents… didn't want me… if ya'd believe it, I was a scrawny sorta kid, didn't gain weight 'n bruised easily… ain't nobody want a sissy for a son. So, I left 'em. Didn't feel like taking their shit anymore. Always glaring, always talkin'…"

Memories swam before Gajeel's closed eyes. He could barely remember anything from those days. It was far too long ago for coherent thoughts to come, but he could remember the sneers, the cold eyes, and the disgusted voices. He'd left when he was maybe four, maybe earlier, and hadn't looked back… until now, that is. He could remember just stumbling along after a few days without food, somewhere in the mountains. Gajeel didn't think he found Metalicana. He was pretty sure Metalicana found him. Or maybe Gajeel did find Metalicana himself; he just couldn't remember much because he'd been half conscious and half dead around that time. Either way, the dragon had adopted him, probably mostly out of pity.

"Stumbled fer a few days in the mountains 'fore Metalicana. That buzzard… he laughed at me, too, but he was nice about it. Fed me proper 'n all. Never let me go hungry, 'specially since I first met him half dead from hunger. Never really let me live that down. Always talkin' 'bout my eyes 'n emotions. Could read me like a book, my old man. After 'bout a month of him takin' care of me, I told him I'd leave him since I was botherin' him. He laughed in my face, that fucker." Gajeel snorted, remembering how Metalicana had thrown back his enormous head and just laughed and laughed and _laughed_. Or what the dragon claimed was laughter, anyways. Gajeel always thought it was a (happy) roar, but he never decided to tell Metalicana that, figuring the dragon would take it as an insult.

"He stopped laughin' when I started leavin'. Next words outta his mouth were, 'Ain't no son of mine leavin' me like that. Not without a proper education. Get back here ya little shit.' Ain't… _fuck_…"

He missed those days. He missed Metalicana teaching him everything from "proper human manners" to magic. He missed the loud voice that should have made him lose his hearing. He missed the hot sun beating on his back in the mountains as he trained under Metalicana's watchful eyes. He missed the incredibly warm, purring (that was how Gajeel had always thought of it – the strange hum snore Metalicana emitted when sleeping) dragon that curled Gajeel under his wing every night to "protect his weak human body" from the cold nighttime temperatures. He missed the feel of smooth metal scales that should have been cold but were alive with incredible heat even during the coldest of nights. He missed Metalicana grousing at him for cursing and having poor grammar ("Fuckin' brat, where are ya learnin' such shitty language from?"). He missed everything about those precious years of his life where he shared them with one of the beasts that was supposed to terrify him but only called him "son," "brat," or "little shit" with such warmth in his growling voice that it made Gajeel so _happy_ to be _alive_.

And now he was gone _forever_. Not just missing. _Dead_. Never, _ever_ coming back. And it hurt _so much_.

A sob echoed through the hollow walls as the earth-shattering grief finally hit Gajeel. He hadn't really been alone, hadn't had any down time ever since saying good-bye… and it just _hurt_. He could feel his tense shoulders fall, bones suddenly heavy, and his whole body seemed to be compressed under a cold weight. Gajeel had been holding back frustrated tears with just willpower before, but he had no energy to do so anymore. He just felt empty again, just like when Metalicana first went missing. God, _that_ had been a hell of a month. Fruitless searching of their mountain, blisters stinging, sunburns aching… Gajeel had thought it hurt then, being abandoned by the only living thing that had cared for him, the only living creature he decided to trust his heart with. Although his hope died every day back then, it had never really left him… he more like decided to forget about it and bury it deep until that stupid Salamander decided to go dig it up.

"Fuck… I ain't a _pansy_…" Gajeel wanted to punch something or do anything but cry, but he didn't have the energy to. Even crying started feeling like too much work, but the tears kept falling, thoroughly soaking his glove-covered palms.

"No, you're just normal. It's okay to cry when a loved one dies. It helps." Lily commented, and Gajeel was grateful the Exceed did nothing more. Lily didn't do anything but keep his eyes on the wall opposite of them, providing a steady silence until the emptiness inside of Gajeel overwhelmed him and stopped his tears. With his lack of energy, his feet slid on the floor until his legs lay flat, and his hands fell to his sides to press his wet, salty palms into the ground. Not feeling up to even holding his head up on his own, Gajeel rested the back of his skull on the wall, not focusing his gaze on anything.

"So… ya know all the dragons disappeared 'n stuff… well, third or fourth town I come across when searching fer my old man, 'n I come across Phantom Lord. Was still askin' 'round if anyone'd seen a dragon, and I just snapped on one-a Phantom Lord's low life morons that, instead-a answerin' me, laughed and called me a liar because 'dragons don't exist anymore.' So, I kicked his ass. Jose found me later that day, 'n I tried pickin' a fight with him. It just felt good, beating someone senseless… it was better 'n _nothin'_. Jose never took me on physically, but he goaded me and… I guess you could say adopted me, but not in the way my old man or Makarov did. Just wanted my power as a Dragon Slayer so I could be his best goon." Gajeel skipped over the sleepless nights he had, because he didn't feel like pouring salt into his raw, aching wound. He didn't want to think about how long it took him to fall asleep that first year, didn't want to reflect on how he was still a bit of an insomniac because he was never warm enough, never vibrating along with Metalicana's purr-snore that shivered throughout his entire body. He didn't want to think about how scared he'd been, how desperate to just feel something, _anything_, other than the terrifying emptiness… but Gajeel's emptiness was only filled by spreading pain and being feared because, maybe, if his name became widespread… wherever Metalicana was…

"So, I finished growin' up in the worst part of Magnolia. Got this place 'round fifteen or so 'cause... I _could_. It was over-priced and a stupid decision, but I had my own money from working jobs and… no one could stop me from making poor decisions. No one cared for me, so I didn't care for anyone but myself. Juvia came around a bit after that… damn gloom-mongering woman decided I was her friend and didn't give a shit when I complained her rain would rust my metal. Said somethin' 'bout seeing her eyes in mine or somethin', and since I didn't complain about her or her gloom she just… stuck around. Annoying, she was." Gajeel explained in a hollow voice, letting his head fall to rest his chin on his chest. He took note of how the shadows were growing around them and considered just joining them and disappearing. As if sensing his thoughts, Lily's tail, which had dropped from the crook of his elbow to his thigh when he'd let his arms fall earlier, twitched.

"And then you started the guild war, got beat down by Natsu in the last second, and 'got adopted' by Master Makarov. You… became happy again, didn't you?" Lily picked at the silence, picked away at Gajeel's brain, picked away at Gajeel's crumbling iron defense.

"Aa. Damn Fairies… always know what buttons to push… 'n now…" Gajeel grumbled softly, head rolling onto one shoulder in defeat. He didn't want to be tempted by the shadows, of the empty solace they promised. Gajeel didn't like this whole "soul bearing" thing even though he hadn't even bared his whole soul. It was exhausting.

"And now there is no Fairy Tail." Lily finished Gajeel's sentence, finally feeling he could look at the man without freaking him out. He peered owlishly at Gajeel, utterly surprised at how dead the man looked. Lily hadn't known Gajeel before Fairy Tail had changed him (or perhaps dug out his true nature again?), but he'd heard stories. Angry… Fearsome… Loathsome… Uncaring… _Evil_. Lily had heard all the adjectives, but now he didn't think any of them were true. Although Fairy Tail _did_ have a knack for making people turn over a new leaf, he wasn't sure this was the case. He was sure he'd caught a glimpse earlier of what Gajeel acted like in Phantom Lord, and he could see why Gajeel was perceived to be such horrible things. But, knowing Gajeel as he did, Lily couldn't help but wonder if Gajeel had only been doing what he did best: overcompensating and hiding everything behind a vile look in his eyes, a dirty mouth, and a haunting grin. Lily knew about losing people (Jellal, for one. That little brat had left in the night without so much as a good-bye!), and he could recognize raw and utter pain hidden behind layers and layers of iron. It appeared as if every time Gajeel decided to care about something, it left him. Well, Lily could fix that. Somewhat.

"How about the Council?" He asked, remembering the Council Woman Gajeel had told him about, the dead one who had once told Gajeel that he reminded her of her son.

"What about it?"

Lily was relieved to hear the surprise in Gajeel's voice instead of absolutely nothing.

"_We_ need to make money somehow. _We_ won't get many jobs by _our_selves as mages for hire, and the Council would be a nice change of pace. Doranbalt will need strong guys now, considering. He'd take _us_ in a heartbeat." Lily made sure to stress every "we" and "us" that came out of his mouth to let Gajeel know he was not alone. The last thing Lily wanted was for Gajeel to be swallowed up by the darkness slowly inching up his deflated form.

"You might also be able to pay back that Council Woman, too. Honor her memory. Kept your ass outta trouble, didn't she? Well, you could get your name on the Council records, just like hers is, for making a difference." Lily wondered if he was grasping at straws since Gajeel didn't even remember the woman's name, but they would eventually need a source of income. Gajeel had hoarded some money from their jobs, and since they ate for free or at a highly discounted rate at Fairy Tail, they had amassed a little sum. It wouldn't last them for a year, perhaps not even six months.

"A-aa… let me think on it, ai'ight? 'M headin' to bed… ya know where the jewels are if ya want to head out fer food or somethin'."

Lily cocked his head to the side as Gajeel hefted himself to his feet, literally stumbling as he walked to his room. Lily followed after a beat, silently, but was surprised when Gajeel didn't sense him. Hidden in the shadows, Lily watched as Gajeel fell face first into the mattress Levy had made him get. He waited the few minutes it took until Gajeel's breathing evened out to exit the shadows, changing into his battle form to make things easier. Lily didn't have children, but he had raised Jellal for a time. He also knew how one's past could haunt and eat at them. He knew how loneliness could turn a good heart black.

"You _are_ a good sort of man, Gajeel Redfox. Rough around the edges, but a good man." Lily said as he pulled Gajeel's boots off, dumping the ridiculously heavy things at the foot of the bed Gajeel was too tall for.

"I'm not going to let you forget that. You gave me a home here in Earthland. I'll give you a home wherever you decide to go." Lily promised the unconscious man in front of him as he hefted Gajeel carefully to the center of the mattress and beneath the thick blankets Gajeel had been adamant on getting. Beneath them, however, was a rather thin, tiny, and weather worn blanket Lily knew had to have been from Metalicana. He brought that one closer to Gajeel's face, knowing that it'd bring comfort when Gajeel woke up. Who knows, maybe it still smelled of Metalicana and the mountains – Dragon Slayers _did_ have ridiculously good noses.

"Sleep well, Gajeel Redfox." Lily said as he turned back into his smaller shape, done with making sure Gajeel was comfortable and cared for. As he left Gajeel's room, he hoped the only darkness Gajeel would court was that new Shadow Dragon Slaying magic he'd picked up from Rogue Cheney and not the darkness threatening to tear apart his soul again.

**A/N**: _I hope y'all read the note on top before reading lol. I write as I get inspired, so… yeah. I did try to do this chronologically, but I was forcing myself and not liking the outcome. So, as of now, fuck chronological order. ;P If this does end up getting finished, I'll rearrange them chronologically, but as far as posting _right now_, I won't. I have had this sitting in my computer for like two weeks, finished, since I was originally gonna wait and publish each installment chronologically, but… eh. Hope y'all don't mind. :)_

_~ Tobi_


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